Of Firsts and Fourths
by AoiNoKitsune
Summary: Rocket, as the team's captain, has to deal with a rather... queer issue. Rocket/Tia, D'Jok/Mai, Ahito/Thran - yaoi, slash. Can you guess what's the title about? UPDATED: Chapter 3: Ahito & Thran learn that Symmetry is Skin Deep.
1. The Truth is Not Always What it Seems

I'll be brief. Dou you, perchance, know what **yaoi** or **slash** stand for? No? That's a bad sign. Come back only when and if you find out, deal?

**Disclaimer:** I own no character mentioned here, cross my heart! xx;  
Off we go now…

**Of Firsts and Fourths  
**_-by Kitsu_

The air was thick in Rocket's room that afternoon. Taking thoughtful glances at the three 'guests' that sat ever so stiffly on Sinedd's former bed, he proceeded to pace on worriedly, eventually adding a sigh to spread through the silence.

There was only so much he could do about the situation, for he was no sociologist nor psychologist, and neither was he all that communicative to begin with, but unfortunately, being the captain of a team, he had to act like he was all that the best way he knew how to. Because leaving this for his uncle to settle would lead to a disaster he didn't dare imagine.

Clearing his throat, he finally stopped beyond three (not quite mortified, truth be told) attentive gazes. "I'd like to…" he begun, but quickly corrected himself, "Okay, so maybe I _wouldn't_ like to, but I fear I _need to_ know," he stated, golden eyes as steady as he dared them to be.

Owlishly, three other pairs of eyes blinked, two of which an identical embarrassed ebony black, while the remaining pair shone a dispassionate icy green. "What is there to know?" Tia questioned calmly, sighing some herself. "I was filming a documentary on our sleeping habits, and they," she back-thumbed at the twins sitting rather stiff beside her, "weren't sleeping."

Throwing the now crimson-cheeked twins a fleeting, but fully worried, glance, Rocket focused more on his white-haired friend. "And you just…" he gestured, hoping they were catching his drift because saying it was quite, well, _queer_, "filmed it all anyway?"

The whitehead nodded curtly, once, before titling him a tired gaze. "Can I have my video camera back now?"

"Well, I suppose so…" Rocket wrinkled his forehead, before carefully reaching to his desk and taking the gadget in question, gingerly depositing it in Tia's awaiting hands. He had seen what was on it, oh yes. And by the time he could work the worry through his shocked brain he'd already have to gauge his eyes out to save himself from being haunted by it. Sometimes he just couldn't understand what was going on in that white head. Okay, so maybe she wasn't in the eye of the question, but she was still involved to a shocking degree.

And Tia seemed to know this. Instead of leaving with what had been confiscated from her, she sat put and cradled the electronic wonder in her lap as if holding the snake's apple, fiddling with it ever so slightly.

With another deep sigh (he was headed for hyperventilation if this went on for long) Rocket reluctantly eyed the twins, signaling subtly it was their time to explain. He managed not to flinch at seeing they were sat so tight together that the only way to be closer would have been sitting in each-other's lap and were holding hands so tight that their knuckles were clenched and white. Both pairs of ebony eyes were still gazing up at him in worry, even though their statures tried to communicate that they didn't care, that no matter what they'd still have each-other.

But Rocket needed to know what he was hiding in order to defend it from their coach. "What happened, guys?" he asked at last, not wanting to hear it in the least.

It was Ahito who lowered his eyes first. "Don't ask when you've seen the tape," he mumbled, his brother's eyes worriedly following his every move, reading regret and anger, but above all else feeling the bond running strong between them just as it had always been. With a sharp movement, Thran looked Rocket straight into the eyes as he spoke.

"It's a private matter," he insisted dryly, "and it never crossed our efficiency in the team, so I don't see why-"

"I'll tell you why," Rocket interrupted him, pacing away slowly before he sat himself on the chair to his desk, arms folding on his chest worriedly, but imposingly still, "it actually explains quite a lot. From Ahito's constant sleepiness to your frail constitution…"

"That's not it at all!" the goalkeeper flared, giving his sibling a jolt, "I've been born with this brain-cap, Thran's got nothing to do with it!" He let himself be pulled back down by his brother's arms though, needing him close now more than ever, just like he knew he needed him.

And, keeping him steady by himself, Thran shot Rocket the same identical hostile glare that he knew his brother was shooting him. It wasn't so much that their team-leader was questioning them like this, it was more that the exposure of it all was too sudden for either of them to handle with a clear head, even when the head in question was as sharp as his. Nonetheless, it was all he could rely on at a time like that. Thankfully, he believed it was more than enough.

"Why Rocket," he mused, suddenly calm even when his hands stayed firm on his brother's shoulders, "you act as though you've never tired it yourself...!"

Wincing, the tan captain swayed his dreadlocked head. "That's because I _didn't_, I-"

"Seventeen and you've never done it, captain…" Thran chided in mock-awe, feeling his brother relax slightly underneath his palms as he caught his drift, "what a waste of healthy teenage years, I say…!"

"Thran!" warned the leader, eyes darting to the amused whitehead as if to signalize they had a lady in their midst, but it all bounced off the wall when said lady caught his eyes again, somewhat worriedly.

"Seriously, Rocket?" she arched her eyebrows disbelieving, "You never masturbated?"

The captain could feel his jaw unhinge, slacking down in shock. Way to go and impress a girl with chastity, he thought to himself somewhat sarcastically, before forcing out a "Yes, of course I did! But-" he swallowed, trying to divert attention from his embarrassed self to the twins again, "it's not masturbation if you do it with or to someone else!"

Ahito's head lowered into the arch of Thran's neck and the older twin felt him relaxing against himself, knowing it was another sleep-attack. He wrapped his arms about him cradlingly before his lips curled into a small foxy smile. "Hear that, Ahito?" he chuckled, "Rocket says we've been having sex…"

"Let's do that next time," came the mumbled sleepy reply against his shoulder, "you're bottom, though…" before Thran lost his brother to dream-land. He felt the urge to caress that relaxed smooth face of his, and those clean Asiatic lines, poke that dark-blue goatee that he knew felt so soft… but he resisted, the weight of his leader's gaze was too strong to ignore. And lifting his eyes to meet it, he knew exactly what the guy would say.

"Thran, you know reason," Rocket was telling him, leaning his elbows on his knees tiredly, "incest is a dangerous thing to play with, won't you think of your parents, for example," he ventured, "won't they feel bad it's happened?"

Much to Rocket's surprise, the older twin shook his head no. "They already know," he assured him, "and they don't mind, I'm the only one who can stand by my brother and his disease anyway… might as well learn how to please him physically."

Rocket couldn't reply. He was shouting inside of himself, hating his words and actions more with each passing moment. Who was he to lecture somebody else if he, first, couldn't straighten his own issues with trust and affection? It was shocking though, all together, and he needed to be alone and think about it. "Right…" he sighed, for the fiftieth time since seeing the tape, probably, "just keep those _lessons_ for yourselves and lock the door, alright?"

Then something amazing happened. Tia smiled to him, full-heartedly. And to the tan captain that was one of the most beautiful smiles in the world. He felt so at peace suddenly that he barely heard Thran voicing his approval, steadying his dozing brother against himself, ready to leave. It was alright. They were all one big family now they would learn to deal with it, because life wasn't easy.

Pained, but somewhat determined to hold on even more now, the captain escorted them to the door, lost in all sorts of conceiting thoughts when icy green eyes interrupted them gently. He leaned in the doorway over her, giving Tia her time to choose and say what she wanted to say, willing to hear what he heard in his dreams…

"Rocket…?" Tia breathed, "happy April Fool's day."

Before he recovered, both the twins and her were running down the hall, laughing.

**-End #1-**

… _I won't beg for comments, but – if you feel like it and you had a good time reading it, you never know; telling me you liked it might actually make me write more (which would be something, considering my update rate). Have a nice day anyhow. Later!_


	2. To Think or Not To Think

If you still don't know what **yaoi/slash** means, I don't know how you've ended here – and you should probably click the back button. Thank you. ^^;

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Galactic Football or its characters._

I didn't intend to continue this, but the reviews were amusing. I'm still doing this mainly for entertainment, but do note that this is a **Than/Ahito** centric chapter, and if there ever is another one, it'll probably go in that direction too. Not because I'm sick and want to see twins doing that in real life (ew, I have a brother, too X_X) but because I'm trying to see how far their characters will let me go. So constructive criticism is very welcome.

Also, I digress who of them is the older twin. I took my bets on Ahito because that would somehow level them out on equality. But maybe that's just me. **EDIT:** Fixed! Thran is the older. xD I suck, I need to watch season 2... _*headesk*_ thank you, Izzy! ^^

I think this is fine with a **T rating** O_O There's kissing and vague mentions of other excitements but nothing much else. _Please tell me if you think I need to change it to M_. I'm not entirely sure with the 'new' rating system... _

Thank you for reading. I won't delay you any longer, promised.

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**Of Firsts and Fourths  
**#2 – **To Think or Not to Think**_  
~ Kitsu_

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April Fool's was whole two weeks ago. And Thran was not thinking about it.

Rocket had been bitter about it for the following two days, of course. He'd act stern, order them around… and then glare when he caught them stiffing giggles behind his back because they _knew_. Tia would be the calmest of them all, the embodiment of innocence perpetrating through her every pore giving them all a rooting; it was a joke. Period.

It took Rocket three days to melt into his usual self, but he eventually had. Ruffled Ahito's hair even and called them all sneaky weasels.

And, Thran had stopped thinking about it, too. Or so he thought.

"-ran...? Thran!"

Head snapping up, the older twin found himself staring owlishly down into the scowling face of one curious-looking Micro-Ice. Despite being lots shorter, the mischievous kid reached up to pat him on the shoulder patronizingly. "Hey, are you feeling okay?" he was prying, "You're looking an awful lot out of it lately, you know~"

Out of what, Thran wanted to ask, but it would have been a rhetoric question. Both because Micro-Ice couldn't possibly read what had been going through his mind… and because he himself could. And wished he didn't. "I'm alright, thank you," he smiled a little stiffly, before hiding that fake upturn of lips into the sweaty yellow top as he pulled it off. When it was gone, so was the smile. But he pretended to be busy with his shorts instead.

Micro-Ice did not really seem to buy it. The boy was all too chatty for Thran's standards most of the time. "Did you and Ahito fight?" he was asking, eyebrows creating that light crease of worry just above the bridge of his nose. "You were looking at him really seriously just now…" he ventured, turning slightly to look over to the stall door that the younger twin had just disappeared through mere moments ago, missing the flinch Thran gave.

No, he was not thinking about it. Not. Never. He just… remembered, was all. Remembered things he really shouldn't have. But not thinking. Because thinking was voluntary, remembrance was an imposed feat. None of which were really of any help, he believed. "No, we're fine," he assured, smiled, lied – blatantly lied. "Now go shower, too, you stink," he concluded cheerily, earning himself a playfully-offended punch in the shoulder.

When he entered in the stall, he could hear Micro-Ice clatter about practice, about D'Jok cashing in more scores than him, about Mai, about nothing and everything at once. But from the stall beside his, he could not realize Thran was hardly following. Hard. And soon flowing, too, guiltily.

It wasn't the first time he'd done it. Ever since the joke played on Rocket, Thran would get these flashes of Ahito, all over him. True, it had been pretending back then. It just had to look real. Ahito's hand was nowhere past his waistband under the covers, but he had moved it as though stroking, the fingers of his other hand digging in mercilessly into his twin's thigh.

It had been breath-taking. Thran wasn't sure he had ever seen his brother so wide awake and aware. His shoulders were so taut and he was holding onto him like he meant it. He even buckled against him, nibbling at his ear… and it was so easy. Thran had just wrapped his arms around him and gasped, swallowed, moaned his name. It was all for a joke. All for a laugh.

But it looked like the joke was on him. _Them._

He walked into the room, toweling off his shorter deep blue hair and simply knew his brother would be laid on his bed, sleeping. Dinner wasn't due another hour, and the practice had been tiring, too. He, too, actually wanted to lay down a little…

His towel hung over his head like a cape, only almond onyx eyes watching under the cover of white. They watched the curve of the naked chest upon the pale-blue lining, accenting and dissolving rhythmically with a crescendo and diminuendo of taut abdomen. The twin brown studs lay rigid against the cooling skin. Why in the galaxy was he seeing all this… in his brother?

One of the hands lifted, pretty languidly, but Thran faltered, nonetheless, flustered to have been found staring. "'nii-chan?"

Of course he took it. Smiled even, genuinely this time. He also only 'ooffed' when those expert goalkeeper hands pulled on him, turning him with a twist of the hip, and suddenly he was laying on Ahito's bed, on his back, with his brother climbing onto him sleepily, nuzzling his way down his jaw to then rest in the hollow of his neck.

It was normal, for them at least. They might have been sixteen already, true, but they had always been together. Thran once read that twins were supposed to be separated in their early years so as not to form too deep attachments with one another, but his family had simply been too preoccupied with Ahito's condition to be able to focus on something like supposed human psychology. They did try to pry them away upon entering school, enlisting them in different classes and encouraging them to cut their hair differently, but they had found a common hobby to spend all their free time together; football. And clung to it for dear life. Which was why they were so good at it to be in an international league. If they won, Thran thought to himself, it was not just a team victory – it was also proof that he and Ahito could handle anything together.

Problem was, that after the fated April Fool's day, laying tangled together with him on a bed just like he was doing in the present brought all sorts of new thoughts and feelings that he wasn't sure his brother felt, too - which was a first. It buzzed through his body like the Flow, only subtler, gentler, more persistent, bringing flashes of hypothetical situations that never happened. Sometimes Thran really hated his above-average mind capacity.

Ahito's hand was ghosting up his side, sleepily, and he let his fingers comb through his twin's longer, still damp locks. They fell down limply all around his face like this, clinging to his fingers as though they didn't want them to slide away…. But he did slide them away, running them over the smooth curve of the cheek instead. They slid effortlessly over the still baby-fine surface, but they caught slightly on his jaw, where Ahito would need to shave the not-yet visible stubble around his trimmed goatee. And running a thumb through it, Thran mused lightly how that goatee was their own way of rebellion. If they couldn't cut their hair the same – fine, they'd obey their parents on that one. But nobody would tell them how to shave.

Ahito was dozing off now, fast, his face-lines relaxed. He wasn't asleep yet though – if the caressing hand was anything to go by. There was something amazing about Ahito's hands. They were wider and moved so differently than Thran's own – years of goalkeeping had shaped them differently. They were skilled, attentive, sure in their movements… they slid over his skin like water, thumb molding just right, fingers flowing fluently, palm gliding like a ghost… And it came up his side now, knowingly, maybe even innocently enough, before the thumb flickered over his nipple.

It didn't feel sudden or unexpected. It felt like a string played at the beginning of a song. But just what the melody was, Thran wasn't sure. So he flicked his thumb over the other's bottom lip instead, parting it away from its upper counterpart gently.

At this point, the hand had already moved on over his bicep, but it halted awkwardly, moving back down and flickering over his nipple again, no less ghostly. This time, it felt a lot more deliberate. It also sent a great deal more adrenalin through the older twin. But he refused to be played for the awe of it, if that was what Ahito was trying to pull. They normally didn't pull jokes on each-other, but this was no normal situation they were in. And Thran was not one to be played, not with his mind working at lightning speed. He let his thumb run over the other's lip more persistently, fluently sliding in when it parted.

Where Ahito's fingers were deft and instinctively efficient, Thran's were slender and quick. And pretty sensitive. Combined with the hand stroking his chest and the flick of a tongue ghosting over the bud of his thumb, now captured behind those sweet perky lips, the feeling was absolutely mind-numbing. It coursed his body like a lightning bolt. A second lick, a second flick of a thumb against his chest, circling across the aureole now, subtly, and he felt himself heating up like a kettle. The third lick was not a lick, but a _suck_. And his nipple was pinched now. Oh dear Flux Lord.

"Ahito," he breathed, the voice of reason not allowing him to keep quiet because the bolding out in his lower regions knew where this was going if he didn't say something. "Ahito…?"

Ebony eyes flickered open, sleepily, yes, but also inquiringly. He wanted to slip his thumb away now, all too flushed about shoving it in in the first place, but teeth closed over it, lightly enough not to bruise, yet firmly enough to dismiss all the thoughts of pulling it out.

"Uh…" It was distracting, talking like this. The hand upon his chest had stilled, but it still lay sprawled, warmly, ready to continue its quest. Yes, Thran felt himself flushing. "Uh, maybe we should… talk a bit?" he found himself asking meekly. Not because he was afraid of Ahito, he never could be afraid of him, but because talking was the last thing he wanted to do now, especially considered the added tent that his boxers were now decorated with. But hormones aside, it was confusing. And Thran didn't like confusing. He liked things clear and sorted.

Ahito let go of his thumb sleepily, with a loud 'plop', and perched himself up on an elbow. This was as attentive as he could get in that moment, and he voiced it gently. "Okay," he assented, but his mild smile never curved his lips. Probably because he had a good idea of what his brother wanted to talk about and, despite the sleepiness, he was now feeling tense.

Thran didn't let him lift off all the way, keeping the arm of the hand that had just been released around the other's shoulder. Yes, this would be unpleasant. Yes, they could end up arguing or hurting each-other, things that had never happened to the two of them before. But such were the turning points. This would be where they learned just how deep they cared for each-other, Thran was sure.

"I…" he started, faltered, then met his brother's eye, letting go a surprised sigh at all the tension there. "Don't look so stiff, Ahito, I just want to tell you something," he smiled, squeezing his shoulder soothingly. It did seem to work because the other twitched a smile, too, and laid a little less stiffly against him. Not that it made Thran feel any less embarrassed about what he was about to say.

"I'm not completely sure how to express this," Thran frowned at himself, looking to his brother's bicep instead of his face. It was a nice bicep indeed. All taut and tense… just like when they had pretended to… no. He wasn't thinking that. He was not supposed to think of that. But he had to, if he wanted to talk about it. And Ahito was giving him all the time he needed to get his wording together. It was why he loved him. Maybe even too much than what was healthily permitted.

"Thing is," he swallowed, still not daring to look at his brother, "that lately I've been having these..." he faltered, looking for a word. He found it, stripping himself of the denial. It was useless now anyway. "These thoughts," he confessed, feeling small. "Thoughts of you. And me," once he had that out, the words seem to flow. His need to elaborate combined with the fear of not putting it clear enough for his brother to comprehend fully and he couldn't stop.

"I don't want you to think I ever thought of it on purpose or willingly, and I did try to block it out because I know it's not healthy or very reasonable in the least, but I've never been too skilled on blocking my mind out and not think about things and this is completely new and slightly overwhelming, as well as embarrassing now because whenever I'm with you it's suddenly not just hugging or sleeping but a whole other plethora of embarrassing feelings that make me see really sexy things on you and it's numbing my brain off and I can't control it because it's unnerving me and it's not right and I'm sorry," he finished lamely, catching his breath. He felt miserable and exposed and marginally afraid of what Ahito would say about it.

Deep down he knew his brother would never condemn him for something like this. They were too close for anything truly being able to cast them apart, except maybe death. But that didn't mean Ahito wouldn't grow more conscious about physical contact with him. It was like loosing a great chunk of affection, not being able to rely in the feeling of having his brother near and within an arm's reach if he wanted to. Hell, it would break his heart…

He felt Ahito grow silent, thoughtful for a moment, before he pulled up to sit on his heels on the bed, one knee still between Thran's. The older was still refusing to look at him, laying limply on the bed and looking ready to curl on himself and die from shame or worry, whichever got the job done first. He reached out to stroke the other's knee, soothingly, thoughtfully.

"I think," he began, a slight frown on his now awake features, "that we haven't considered this before the prank video," he admitted, yearning for his brother to look at him and not feel so nervous, because it was breaking him inside to see him like this.

"No shit," Thran supplied, humorless. He still wasn't looking at him.

"But we've had all the time to do that now, and we can't really take it back anyway," the older continued, squeezing the other's knee. He wanted him to look. _Look._ It all felt a thousand times more settling when he did.

Thran lifted his eyes to him then, careful, but vulnerable underneath. "_We?_" he asked, tentatively.

Nodding, Ahito sighed. Letting go of the other's knee, he then clambered back over him, deliberately, just like he had for the video, watching apprehensively when a dark blush spread over Thran's cheeks. "When I climb over you… like this," he breathed, not meaning to sound suggestive, but saying a fact, "my brain has a mental melt-down."

And it seems Thran's had one, too. His hands lifted to accommodate the body hovering over him, guiding it to press down. "I don't think I'm supposed to be considering what I'm considering doing right now," he admitted, a little guiltily, but his hands never moved away. It had been two weeks of wringing his mind insane over it, of fighting it, of loosing to it, every waking hour of the day, but especially at night. In his dreams, the video played and replayed in haunting loops.

Ahito shifted his weight, a light, smooth move, and suddenly the world stood devoid of sound and reason. A million thoughts exploded in Thran's head all at once. Their hips collided, and not only was he momentarily numbed out of worrying Ahito would feel just how excited he was (but maybe he had already seen it, crouching over him before?) now he was also swimming with apprehension that Ahito was, indeed, just as hard. It was mutual, he thought with soothing elation. It was insane. It was wonderful. It was a wish come true that he had wanted so badly without even knowing it.

They kissed. It felt like gravity going haywire and pulling in a planet and its moon. _Contact._

He kept nibbling at Ahito's lips, slowly, deliberately. How many people had said their first kiss was wonderful, but nervous and clumsy? Well he wasn't the least bit nervous. This was Ahito kissing him, the only person he'd spent every living day with his entire life. And if they nibbled slowly, exploring, they got the hang of it soon enough.

From the slow dance of the lips there was a fracture of a step to take before their tongues touched, hidden. Maybe Ahito had been the one to part his twin's lips gently with a prying tongue, but Thran had been the one to oblige and plunge back in return with a small moan of appreciation. And from there it went on and on, seemingly endlessly.

Their initial urgency dissolved slowly, with each kiss. But how many were there? To Than it all seemed one wonderfully long kiss, and breathing through his nose allowed them to never part. It was alien, exploring the cavity of his brother's mouth like this… it was one of the few parts of Ahito that he didn't know yet, but that was changing, too, now. Instead, he felt himself being opened and explored in return, gently. He was only dimly aware of Ahito moving slightly now and again, to get more comftable, to snuggle against him, to play with his short hair…

All the while, Thran felt him soften against his thigh, even though his kisses weren't ceasing. And he himself was softening as well. It was a matter of comforting each-other now, especially because it was all so new and so big and neither really felt sure if they had completely processed it yet. They lay side by side, arms draped around each-other languidly, and lips still nibbling lazily. They could have gone on for hours, and probably would have if the knock on the door didn't startle them.

Dazedly pulling themselves together as much as they could, they sat up. Thran wanted to get up from his brother's bed, too, but his knees were too soft for anything of the sort. So he just tried to look as casual as he could, when Rocket opened the sliding doors.

"Dinner's ready," he told them before his smile faded slightly to be replaced with a frown. "Why are you guys not dressed yet?" His jade eyes were also asking why were they both on Ahito's rumpled bed now and why did they look slightly out of it. The flashes from the video that had happened in that exact same bed were haunting him still.

Thran's quick mind was first to react. "We started talking and forgot about the time," he assured. Damn, he was getting good at lying, he noted with an inner frown, he might need to do it often if he and Ahito were to… repeat the 'talking' session they had just had.

Rocket nodded, smile back in place. "Well, do get dressed and come into the dining room, we'll be waiting," he instructed before leaving.

The sliding doors clicked back into place with a slight hiss behind him, and neither of the twins moved at first. Tentatively, Thran lifted his ebony eyes to Ahito's, blushing upon realizing they had been looking at him deliberately and steadily. "I think…" Ahito started, thoughtfully drifting off, before his cheeks colored, too. "I think I love you."

Heart skipping a beat, Than straightened. He could feel a wide smile tugging at his lips that he had no means to tame down. "Yeah," he agreed, swallowing down the irrational flock of butterflies that suddenly sprung to life inside his stomach, "I think I love you, too."

They pulled fresh shirts on, warm socks and smacked each-other around with their jackets before racing each-other to the dining room, Thran winning and Ahito whiningly putting blame on his sleepiness. Joining the others and chatting away, nothing felt like it had truly changed.

Not even when their fingers tangled under the table.

**- End #2 -**

**PS: **Auto-Beta-ed. U_u I'm still waiting for any beta to get back at me. So if you have someone to reccomend, please do.


	3. Symmetry is Skin Deep

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Galactik Football or its characters._

Omg an update in slightly more than 24 hours? This is a first for me. XD **Ahito/Thran** this time, indirect **D'Jok/Mei**.

Just an idea that popped into my head. Still no strings attached. But I'd love to write a lime for next time, if the boys prove to be ready. Do you think they are? Please review if you have any questions/suggestions/constructive criticism. _*bows*_ Thank you!

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Of Firsts and Fourths  
#3 – Symmetry is Skin Deep  
**_~ Kitsu

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Thran's tray was roughly pushed to the side, the soup splashing, and suddenly there was a lap in its stead. Male lap, as far as he could discern. He looked up to meet one heated short player's determined glare boring into him.

"Okay," Micro-Ice crossed his arms on his chest sternly, "either you tell me what's going on or I'll get Yuki pregnant."

Thran blinked, once, before leaning back and away a little from the other's personal space. In case Micro-Ice knew of that concept. Because the concept of Yuki was obviously lost on him. "I do think you'd end up a eunuch if you tried, not that I'd need to lift a finger about it."

He tried to move to the side and finish his meal, but the short boy caught him in a leg-lock, trapping him. "That doesn't change the fact that you're acting weird," he was pouting, his male pride offended, but he was too good a friend to jell and curse back. "And I'm worried," he confessed.

Thran looked up at him in momentary silence, weighting his options. Okay, so maybe Micro-Ice was loud and obnoxious most of the time, but he really did mean no harm. They had always chatted so easily, joked and laughed. No wonder he started noticing the twins were now retreating to spend quality time among themselves more now. D'Jok was, after all, preoccupied with Mei (willingly or not) most of his free time and he never was exceptionally close to either Tia or Rocket, so it was only a matter of time before he'd come crashing over for some answers. Maybe even literally, considering the spilled tea on Thran's tray…

His eyes slid slowly to Ahito's form sitting next to him and dozing off on the table, letting his meal cool. To anybody it might have looked like one of his usual sleep attacks, but Thran knew he was faking it this time. He had more than heard Micro-Ice crash their trays together. He was just obviously leaving the talking to him. He would have felt proud for the trust put into him, if it wasn't the consequence of Ahito being lazy. Besides, maybe it was about time Ahito woke up and…

"… it's got to do with the two of you, I know it," Micro-Ice went on, pointing an accusing finger at Thran. "You keep looking at him all the time. And don't try to tell me it's because you think he'll collapse from one moment to the next, it's not worry you're looking at him with!"

Thran looked at him sharply, calculating. He couldn't tell the truth. Maybe Micro-Ice didn't have a mean bone in his body, but he did have one of the fastest mouths in the galaxy. And yet Thran hated lying no matter how good he had gotten at avoiding all sorts of questions. He had always been slightly irked at having to make up things… but when Ahito would back him up against the wall and kiss him out of his mind he'd find total Zen in a millisecond, and all was right with the world until next time.

"There's nothing wrong," he repeated himself, "it's a twins' thing…" he kneed Ahito under the table, making him give a slight hiss of pain, but he obediently straightened just in time to voice the affirmation Thran needed him to. "Right, Ahito?"

The younger twin was looking at him in slight annoyance, as was Micro-Ice. But such was life sometimes, he, too, had his bad days – he was human, too, despite the computer-like brain. And all he really wanted was to finish his meal in peace. He made a grab for the tray, but suddenly his hand was caught.

Thran watched in shocked horror as Ahito drew his hand into his, bringing it up to kiss it lightly. "It's okay, 'nii-chan," he was smiling softly now, before turning his ebony eyes from his frozen brother over to their friend, no less stunned. "We can tell him, he's our friend," he supplied, pulling on the hand he was holding, enough to wrap his arms around a stunned Thran, tongue tracing up his jaw languidly, "he can even come have some fun with us..."

"Uh," Micro-Ice added intelligently, eyes widening in shocking apprehension. "F… fun?"

Ahito nodded. He traced a finger across Thran's lips, as though showing him. "Yes, _fun._ I kiss him here," he instructed, before his finger danced down the line of his neck, to the middle of his chest, "here," he continued cheekily, letting his fingers drop low, lots lower, to trace over the zipper of Thran's jeans. "and _here_ it where he likes it most," he concluded, giving his fingers a double tour, enjoying way too much the bewildered look on their team-mate's face.

Which is where Thran realized what was his brother doing. He was lying, of course. They had never kissed nowhere pass the face area, never really… gotten far with hands. Despite the obvious attraction, they did realize they were siblings and the fact that it was supposed to be gross and awkward but _wasn't_ was still somewhat enough to keep them rooted. But that wasn't the eye of the matter now. Now Thran needed to do his part.

"Oh…" he moaned, throwing his head against the other's shoulder and catching his wrist bashfully, "Ahito, don't… not in front of others…" he pleaded, meek suddenly, and Ahito's hand closed over him, cupping him deliberately. He buckled up into that hand, gasping in shame.

"Wh-whoah, _whoah!_" Micro-Ice let go of his leg-lock on Thran as though he burned, blushing. "Guys that's not-" he tried, faltered, tired again. "You're not supposed to- You- You, you…" He was backing up on the table, eyes wide, but still too stunned to bolt.

Thran sneaked a hand up Ahito's thigh, kneading it reproachfully now, eyes veiled with something akin to resignation and shame. "We know it's wrong," he mouthed quietly, "And we really didn't want anyone to know…"

Micro-Ice was still staring, mind blank and overloaded with shock. "You're… you…" he pointed at them weakly.

Ahito's arms grew tighter against Thran, and he eyed their team-mate with a serious expression worth a Nobel prize. He also palmed Thran quite deliberately, and this time the moan the other gave was a little less acting than the previous one and more of a real thing, especially since the handful had bolded out slightly. He knew they needed to stop before it got out of hand… also because, all things considered, this was technically the first time he was groping his twin, publicly or in private alike. It was blasting his brain, fast.

"Yes, we're…" he trailed, nuzzling into Thran's neck without taking his eyes off of their team mate, before continuing. _"Joking."_

They burst out laughing, more at the bewildered expression on Micro-Ice's face than at anything else, because to them, the prank wasn't exactly funny. It wasn't a prank at all. It was partly a way of testing how Micro-Ice would take it, if he would ever find out.

Sulking, the short player, shot them a glare and slid into the seat next to Ahito, refusing to look at them. "That's one sick joke to play," he commented, crossing his arms over his chest sternly.

Thran was patting him on his shoulder, choosing his wording carefully, but he never managed to say anything.

"I think it would be cute."

All three of them glanced up to see Tia holding her tray beside them, a slightly weary Mei just a step or so behind her. The latter was still frowning at them even after both of them sat down. "I fail to see the cute part of two guys being together," she huffed. "_Girls_ are supposed to make the cute happen."

Tia looked at her, conversing as though the boys weren't there to hear it. "It's aesthetic," she countered thoughtfully, "even the Ancient Greek were blessing it and the world culture is based on theirs. There really has to be something to it."

Mei made a face, dropping the spoon into her soup with distaste. "I still fail to see the appeal. Ew."

Tia tapped her index finger against her lip, thoughtfully. "Well… try to imagine D'Jok kissing Micro-Ice," she supplied.

"What?!" Micro-Ice stood sharply, his cry higher for a full octave. "Like that would ever happen! Gah!" he sighed, crashing down into his seat like his knees suddenly gave way and beating his had against the smooth surface of the table. "Oh _ew_. The mental image – _it burns!_"

Cringing at him, Mei stifled a giggle. "Yeah, that would never happen," she said dismissively, "D'Jok's too hot to go as low as to kiss somebody like Micro-Ice. Literally."

Micro-Ice lifted his head enough to glare daggers at her, but Thran rubbed soothing circles against his back between his spoon-fulls, keeping him subdued somewhat.

Tia, however wasn't done yet. "Fine, then… Rocket and D'jock?"

Mei seemed to think for a second, before she cringed her beautiful face in distaste again. "They would never kiss. D'Jok's subtly craving the captain's position, I don't think he'd ever like Rocket enough to even remotely consider it…"

But Tia went on. "Sinned and D'Jok?"

"Hey," Mei now turned towards her, brown pony-tail flying. "Why are you trying to gay D'Jok up? Last time I checked, he was perfectly fine kissing _me_, thank you." She hissed indignantly. "Besides, we're not talking about D'jok, we're talking about _them_ groping each-other for a joke," she huffed, chin nudging towards the now frozen twins.

Thran had been hoping they had forgotten about it already (yes, he was such an optimist at times, he knew...). He looked up from his plate into Mei's searching blue eyes, brain working a thousand miles per hour for something to say. Fortunately enough, Tia was the one to divert the suspicious brunette's attention again.

"They can pull these jokes off because theirs is an aesthetic symmetry. Hairstyles aside, they look exactly the same, it would be like loving oneself," Tia elaborated thoughtfully.

Mei was not convinced. "It would make them narcissistic, then," she shrugged, "as though gay and incestuous wouldn't have been enough."

Micro-Ice crashed his head against the table again. "Ew," he whined, "I don't think I'll be able to sleep in the same room with D'Jok now. I keep getting flashes of him waking me up Sleeping Beauty style, gown and armor and everything." He gagged.

Laughter sprung over the table, heartily. But no one noticed Ahito wasn't joining in.

I wasn't until later that evening that Thran realized something was truly off. He was flipping through the holo-TV channels in their room, waiting for Ahito. He still wasn't used to the whole… 'we're kissing now' ordeal, it felt slightly silly to just sit there dressed to a minimum of T-shirt and boxers and waiting for his twin of all people and see him being deliberately… sexy? Thran wasn't sure he knew how to be sexy. He didn't even want to be trying to look sexy. He just wanted Ahito to give him a random reason to drag him to his bed, climb on top of him and kiss him silly until they both fell asleep, exhausted.

But Ahito was late today. He had hit the showers before him, and while his hair was longer than Thran's, he had never taken this long to get showered. Frowning, Ahito tried to pinpoint what was wrong. Maybe he was embarrassed? Earlier he had promptly groped him, and felt up, too. Not that Thran minded. They hadn't yet breached the waistband-line, but it wasn't like Thran had never felt Ahito stiff against his thigh while kissing, he was also pretty sure Ahito had felt him, too. So what was wrong?

Sighing he let himself fall backwards against his covers, gazing up at the ceiling. Maybe nothing was wrong. Maybe he was just imagining things. Maybe Ahito had been overwhelmed by feeling him up and was now guiltily taking care of it in the shower…

He bet Ahito looked nice in the shower. All wet and dripping, hair plastered over this chiseled face, falling into his eyes till he arched back for a wordless cry or elation, when the spray would wash it back and soothe the straining muscles of his pumping arm…

The sliding doors opened with a hiss and Thran looked up, still half lost in imagination, but sobering up fast. Something was wrong. Very wrong. "Ahito…?" he next to whispered, trying to pin point it, but his twin only walked over to his own bed, not even bothering to look over, but rather keeping his eyes fixed on the floor, guiltily.

Thran sat up fully, calling him again, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. He watched him throw the towel onto his bed sternly. Was he mad…? Why as he not looking at him? Not talking to him? Why was he…

Suddenly he saw it.

Jumping up from the bed he grabbed the younger one by the shoulders, spinning him around to face him, fingers reaching for his chin. The skin was smooth under his fingers, hairless and soft. "Ahito…" he barely breathed out, suddenly feeling numb.

The younger jerked his chin free, looking away.

It felt like they were suddenly miles apart, and Thran could feel his chest constrict. This was not alright. This was not how it was supposed to be… he grasped for his twin's arms, urgently. "Ahito, why…?" he tried to get him to look at him, but the other wouldn't budge. "Ahito, what's wrong all of a sudden?"

The younger closed his eyes momentarily, maybe gathering himself, before turning to look at his older twin head on, with all the determination it had taken him to shave his goatee off. It was a sacrifice he need to make in order to know. "We'll always look alike," he told the other mournfully, "so maybe I'll never know, but…" he faltered, swallowing slightly before continuing, "Would you still like me if we weren't twins?"

Blinking, Thran let his words sink in. Like him if he wasn't his twin? Could he? He liked him _because_ he was his twin, because he was the closest to him. If they weren't twins and grown up as they had, they'd be two different people. How could Thran know what would they be like… he didn't even know what was he inclined to fall for in the first place. It had only ever been Ahito…

"What… are you talking about?" he frowned, eyes showing all the panic that was gathering inside him. "You'll always be my twin, we'll always be together in everything," he assured him.

Ahito's face darkened slightly. "Would you still like me if we didn't look alike?" he asked firmly, swallowing bitterly.

Oh. _Ooh._ Tia's aesthetic symmetry theory. Narcissism.

What a silly little brother he had…

Crushing him into a tight embrace, Thran kissed the other's ear, hair, whatever came first. "You're an idiot," he told him adoringly, "I'd like you just the same even if you looked like Clamp," he assured him.

Reluctantly, Ahito drew his arms around his twin, as well. "I hope I'll never look like Clamp though," he made a face in Thran's shoulder, but his voice was lighter, more relaxed. And suddenly he was melting against Thran, bonelessly, with all his weight. It took all of Thran's quick reflexes to catch him, gently laying him onto his bed, sleeping like a log.

Straightening him against the mattress, Thran pulled the covers over him, sighing. He must have been thinking about it ever since lunch, feeling nervous and unsettled and thus, unable to nap. He had missed far more goals than usual on the afternoon practice, Arch had even told him to focus more, but they all had their off-days, so Thran had not put much thought into it. Let alone think something like this could be bothering his otherwise always cheery and laid-back twin.

But he guessed it was important to him, knowing that he liked him for him, no matter what he looked like, he was always Ahito. And climbing with him under the covers, Thran wormed himself to spoon against him, arms pulling him into a back-to-chest embrace.

It was in the early morning hours when his dream turned sharply from something undefined that had to do with the upcoming finals to this pleasant, slightly wet feeling and he was dimly aware he was gradually waking up. As though surfacing from the depths of the ocean, he was more and more aware of his form digging into the mattress and the bulk above him pressing him there. He was also being kissed. Yes, Ahito was kissing his brains out, slowly, deliberately. It was probably one of the most wonderful wake-ups he had ever been submitted to, Thran had to focus hard to remember he was supposed to be mad about the godforsaken hour.

"Mmmito… Ahi-…" he managed to get out before his lips were assaulted more firmly and Ahito's form slid slightly against his own, tongue shoving in mercilessly before retreating with a small lick. Then it thrust in again, retreated, lips nibbling at his, before the tongue would thrust in again, in a silent simulation of another thrusting he was sure the other was eager to get going. Thran could feel it, could understand it, could yearn for it as well, and did.

He wondered who in their right mind woke up at three AM to have a mind-numbing make-out session. Probably nobody sane.

But they were different.

"A… hito," he gasped in a rare moment in which his lips were released. Ahito's chin was so smooth, so alien... but still Ahito's. It made sense to him.

They had a symmetry of their own. And it wasn't skin-deep.

**-End #3-**

Okay… should I go on with this? If I do the story' rating is surely gonna go up. I hope I pinned the characters okay… I'm not used to writing stuff so clustered together. And please excuse any misspellings or grammar mistakes, English is not my first language and I still have no beta. T_T

_**Wildcard:** FIX'D! 8D Thank you so much for the wonderful review. Your review on the first chapter was the main why I even continued this... you're really sweet. ^^_

_**Destiney Hope:** ?_? Annoy you? Why would I write to annoy you... I don't even know you? I'm sorry if it looks that way... but thank you for saying my story was fluent. ^^ I'm sorry the pairing bothers you. But I can't see this fic without it, it's the main lifeline of it...?_


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